Cup 12 - Gerri

March 23, 2014

Fitting that today is my dear “old” friend’s birthday!  (Just kidding, Dear Old Friend!).  Truly, I think we have both aged fantastically well.  I am posting a picture of us together, from back in the 80’s, but seeing as we haven’t changed a BIT, it had might as well be a recent one!  Gerri and I met for coffee (well, we both had Earl Grey lattes, actually) earlier in the week and realized it had been six years since we had last crossed paths face-to-face.  And she only lives in Cochrane!  Our friendship is another of those where FaceBook fills in a few of the gaps and made us feel we were up to date on each other’s lives.  Ummm…….it wasn’t true! 

Our age-less-ness isn't the only similarity we still share from back-in-the-day.  As expected, we picked up our conversations from wherever they last left off, yet still made a point to reminisce. On the tips of both of our tongues were the same happy stories of simple but memorable times spent together. Like the time, after I turned 16, we cruised the streets of Cochrane in the 1965 "three-on-the-tree" Chevy Beaumont my grandpa had given me. There were peals of laughter that ensued when we parked in front of her house and, synchronously, both turned to exit the front seat, only to realize we were paralyzed by the lap belt tying us down.  (You had to be there...).  Or the time, as two carefree 19-year old friends, we took a road trip to go camping in Kelowna and spent most of the trip "resting" (sleeping-in, lying on the beach, going to bed early...)  I'm pretty sure we brought home all of the Rockaberry Coolers we purchased while in BC.  That's not to say we didn't go to our share of parties and consume our share of Old Milwakee ($5 for a 6-pack!) How else would Gerri know why a CASE of Alpha-Ghetti was the perfect 18th birthday present?!  ;)

What other consistencies can I tell you about this friend?  Her priority of fitness was Charlene Prickett then, and kick-boxing now.  She loved her dog, Chico, then and Willow now. LuLuLemon now beats Beaver Canoe from back then, but comfortable clothes are the common thread (punny?)! She went to all the Cochrane General Junior B hockey games then as she does now, although a person's motivation for going changes when - in high school - you have a crush on one of the players versus when your son is now playing for the same team after you married that crush!!  She was outspoken then and is the same way now. I haven't asked her lately but I'll bet she still hates feet.

But Gerri certainly isn't stuck in the past.  She has faced professional and especially personal challenges that might make another person shrink.  Details and stories from the present day aren't important.  Gerri just gets stronger (plus, the kick-boxing probably helps.)  She has wisdom and the 20,000 foot perspective to be able to make important decisions for herself and her family, and then she acts on them.  I haven't seen her kids for a long time but hear they are growing up with many of her same, incredible traits and talents.  What lucky people! She laughs, exudes confidence, doesn't look back and, when she wants something, she just makes it happen.  She seems genuinely confused to imagine this isn't how everyone naturally behaves.  Her matter-of-fact-ness is actually very inspiring.

We promised not to let six years pass without another latte-party but, no matter what the passage of time, I know, as much as all of the great things will stay the same about Gerri, so will there be lots of exciting new adventures to be caught up on and inspired by.

Happy Birthday Old Friend!

Cup 11 - "Accountant Boy"

March 16, 2014

I took a week off from blogging last week as I allowed myself to count double the week before.  And now, today, as we all enter into tax season, I choose to give people a sneak-peek into my relationship with my accountant.  Today is also my sixth wedding anniversary.  Oh yeah, and I'm married to my accountant.  (I mentioned, in my very first post back in December, that one of these weeks I might need to just catch-up with Derek, after starting a new job and all.  This seemed like the fitting weekend!)

Compared to some of our friends, who celebrated six married years while they were still in their 20's, we arrived late to the marriage game.  We even arrived late to the realization that we wanted to marry each other.  After meeting online, we dated each other, irregularly, while we both also dated other people.  I referred to him to my friends as "Accountant Boy", just to keep him straight in the minds of myself and those who I mentioned him to.  But, after close to a year of having first met, something just "changed" for both of us and in a matter of a week we became an official couple (January).  A month after that (February) we were professing our love and had met each other's families.  Four months after that (July) we decided to consolidate our addresses and buy a house together.  A month after that (August) we were camping, and discussing taking a tropical holiday that upcoming March.  We both figured that could be a good trip to call a honeymoon.  From there, we looked at the calendar, backed up one weekend from when my March Break was scheduled and circled it as a wedding date! (Not a fantastic "proposal story" but our story, just the same.  We're not fancy people!)  But then it was FIVE more months after that (January) I got my ring.  Again, no romantic story because by this point we were two months away from the wedding and I just wanted my ring!  Derek had ordered it, custom, and when it finally arrived just pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me.  Did I mention we're not fancy people?!   (But did I mention it's a beautiful ring?!

That was then. This is now.  We're still not fancy people and, even if "we did it wrong" when it came to getting engaged I'm pretty sure we're "doing it right" when it comes to being married. March 16, 2008 was a great day, a sunny Sunday afternoon spent with just family in Banff (and Brier dressed in a tuxedo to be both the ring bearer and best man).   We got married on a snowy patio, had cocktails and a quick lunch while accompanied by a string quartet and danced on Lake Minnewanka.  Our photos included my riding on the back of a dirt bike in my dress.  The wedding was followed by a beautiful, luxurious honeymoon in the Mayan Riviera and then a wedding party, back in Calgary, with friends after that.

Whatever we're doing just works.  We're pretty different people but have independence in common (perhaps from being single for so many years) and so perhaps this is our secret (which I am now publishing on the internet!)  We have lots of our own things we like to do, but when we spend time together it's wonderful as well.  We are probably too often homebodies, and have too many shows on our PVR, but we also enjoy going to concerts, quick airplane holidays, the occasional cross-country or downhill ski trip and spending time with select friends as well as both sides of our family.  Derek has taught me to always check the coupon book first, to always make sure all the air is out of a ziploc bag before you put it in the freezer, to love watching Supercross on Saturday nights and patience.  He has taught me lots and lots of patience!  (Wink!)  I think I have taught him patience as well as he tries to let me convince him that perfectionism isn't always necessary, that people don't always want to hear ALL the details in the story, and that sometimes you can make a "major purchase" - like a lawnmower - without doing endless hours upon endless days of research. (Wink!)  We still haven't bought a lawnmower....

He is sweet, affectionate, incredibly smart, multi-talented and a great husband.  He also prepares a mean tax return (you know it will be perfect!!)

Love you Accountant Boy!

Cups 9 and 10 - GZ & GG

March 2, 2014

It has been a Family Weekend.  Not only did I celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday, but I had a dinner with my Grandma Zen (GZ) and a lunch with my Grandma Glen (GG).  I realize how fortunate I am to still have two healthy grandmothers.  I choose to celebrate this here. However, because these ladies have over 181 years between them, to tell you ALL about their lives might come across as me writing their eulogies!  This is nowhere on the horizon so you shall only learn some tidbits...

Grandma Zen (Zenith) is 88 years young and, for my whole life, whenever we have spent time together she has worn me out!  Our claim to fame, when she lived in Edmonton up until 2 years ago, was that we went to the Edmonton Fringe festival together for 18 summers consecutively.  (And now the much smaller, lesser known Calgary Fringe for the past two years.)  If you know anything about Fringe theatre, this means our seeing and hearing some pretty racy, alternative and......bizarre pieces. Luckily neither she nor I are easily offended and we stumbled upon both some masterpieces and some horrors over the years.  Almost enjoying both equally!  Other than theatre we also still enjoy golfing together.  My favourite part is being paired with a couple of guys who eye us warily, then GZ stepping up to the tee and driving it almost 200 yards straight down the middle.  She is a go-getter. We've seen lots of movies, been to many CFL games (where I quietly did NOT cheer for her Eskimos), played Skip-Bo and done crossword puzzles for hours while she filled me in on either the Young and the Restless or the Bachelor.  I inherited her love of shoes, carbs and her dislike of vegetables, although she avoids them much more diligently than I do.  Some of her hand-me-downs even hang in my closet.  We had a nice dinner last night, where she plied Derek and I with wine prior, and we anticipated her upcoming trip to Arizona. There's no slowing GZ down!

Grandma Glen (Glenora) has lived in Calgary for over 10 years now but, prior, my grandparents  had a farm between Bowden and Innisfail where my dad grew up.  My brother and I were so fortunate to spend much time there when we were kids.  Although I didn't technically become a "city kid" until I was 20, growing up in Cochrane did not afford me opportunities, otherwise, to see calves be born, shoot tin cans with a .22 or drive a combine.  She was a busy lady back on the farm and has hardly slowed down now.  (Why should she, she's only 93?!)  We tease her today about how quickly she walks down the hallways with her walker.  Seriously, it's like she's in a race!  This afternoon after lunch she beat me once at Scrabble although I took her down in the second match. We enjoy going out for Chinese buffets or breakfasts together, watching curling and reminiscing about the prankster who was my grandpa.  She's optimistic, bright, social and tough as nails.  All traits I hope I have, thanks to her.

I spent a lot of time with, and remember well, 3 great-grandparents and all 4 of my grandparents. It is not lost on me how lucky I am to still be able to share time with these two fantastic women, having them live nearby, both still thriving through their veteran years.  It is also not lost on me how lucky I am to share their DNA.  I'm just painfully aware that I need to start saving a lot more money if I'm going to be as healthy for as long!!